Plants

Productive cropsMaize
Thanks to John Cooper and the students and staff of Rushcliffe Comprehensive School in Nottingham, Woodstone Primary Leicestershire for growing the maize and bringing it to London – by train!

Cassava
Thanks to John Beeching, Reader in Plant Molecular Biology, University of Bath who supplied the Cassava plants in our garden. His invaluable research work will help sustain indigenous communities like the Baka and Bagyeli communities

John says: ‘Cassava is the world’s sixth most important crop and is grown throughout the humid tropics for its starchy storage roots. It is the staple food of over 700 million and is vitally important to the sustainable livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. My research is driven by a combination of intellectual curiosity and humanitarian concern. At Bath my laboratory is involved in improving cassava in terms of its nutrition, disease resistance, and particularly the shelf-life of the roots. Through our collaborations with African researchers we can build research capacity in Africa, test candidate plants in the field and distribute improved cassava to poor farmers.

Main planting would not have been possible without Indoor Garden Design who swooped in at the last moment when two other suppliers fell by the wayside.

Indoor Garden Design is really proud to be part of the Green & Black’s Rainforest Garden.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to work on a garden project at Chelsea that acts as a showcase with a strong message that raises awareness of the Cameroonian Rainforest and really highlights the importance of preserving nature’s true garden for the future of its inhabitants.”
– Ian Drummond, Creative Director, Indoor Garden Design